Educational Materials

Nutrition & Fitness

Experience the importance of regular physical activity and eating healthy. The cross-curricular activities below follow educational standards, and are sure to keep your students engaged. Detailed lesson plans make implementation a snap. Become a member to get started today!

Ready for lunch and recess? This kit contains 14 activities for students in grades K-3 that demonstrate the connection between the digestive system, nutrition and the benefits of regular physical activity. With the help of friends like the Amazing Herman, Simon, the Nutrient Superheroes, Red Riding Hood and the "Well-Fed Wolf", students will explore and discover the importance of eating healthy and getting regular exercise.

Get ready for a journey into the digestive system to investigate how food travels through our body, giving us the nutrients and energy our body needs. So what really happens to the slice of pizza once it is swallowed anyway? In this activity, Simon and Sarah engage students as they explore the digestion process in Simon’s digestive system. Students will then put the pieces of the digestive system together in an online interactive activity.

Delivery Method:
Individual
Pairs

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. State the importance of food as fuel for the body.
2. Identify organs of the digestive system and their function.

Are your students ready to help Red Riding Hood feed a well-balanced meal to the hungry Wolf? In this interactive activity, students will learn all about the five food groups and the importance of eating a variety of foods every day. Students will view six video segments featuring Red Riding Hood and the Well-Fed Wolf. They will then select foods from each of the food groups to help Red before preparing Wolf’s meal.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify the five food groups on MyPlate.
2. Place foods and beverages in their correct food group on MyPlate.

Welcome to Body Systems Detective! Students are lead by Hailey (Herman’s sister) the amazing body systems detective in an investigation on how their body works with all five systems to keep us healthy and give us motion. The animated five-part activity focuses on the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, digestive and respiratory systems. Once they complete all five body systems, they continue onto a bonus round called Get FITT which focuses on the benefits of regular physical activity.

Delivery Method:
Individual
Large groups
Small groups

Lesson Objectives:
The students will be able to:
1. Identify and know the location of the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, digestive and muscular systems.
2. Describe the benefits of regular physical activity.
3. List four types of physical activity.
4. Define the FITT principle.

Why not a little food and fun to teach students about staying healthy? In this MyPlate activity, students will find out why it is important to eat a variety of foods from all of the food groups and get at least one hour of physical activity every day to stay healthy.

Delivery Method:
Small groups
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify and label the five food groups on MyPlate.
2. Draw foods from each of the five food groups.
3. List five examples of physical activity.

It’s time for lunch! Are your students hungry? Let’s find out what they would like to eat by heading to Susie’s Café. In this interactive activity, students with hear about GO, SLOW and WHOA foods from Simon and Herman the Food Analyzer. Students are challenged to select the healthiest lunch choices from Susie’s Café. Once they make their lunch selections, Herman will use his analyzer skills and analyze their food/drink choice as a GO, SLOW or WHOA selection.

Delivery Method:
Individual
Pairs

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. State the importance of eating a variety of healthy foods.
2. Define fat, sugar and calories.
3. Identify GO, SLOW and WHOA foods based on fat, sugar and calories.

Food is the fuel that makes our body go go go! Students will discover just that in this classroom experiment designed to demonstrate how food provides nutrients and energy that our body needs – similar to the way batteries supply power to a flashlight. When discussing nutrition as a source of energy, use this visual demonstration to explain the need to eat healthy foods on a daily basis.

Delivery Method:
Small groups

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. State the importance of food as fuel for the body.

Welcome to Nutrient Control. In this animated activity, students will join Simon as he explores several exciting missions with the Nutrient Superheroes. Simon will guide the students in this exploration and introduce them to the Nutrient Superheroes as he reveals each of their super powers. Students will then identify the correct Nutrient Superhero needed to solve the nutrient mysteries.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify and state the role of six nutrients in the body.
2. Determine which nutrients play a role in the scenarios provided.
3. Verbalize sources of nutrients.

Coach Craley is recruiting for his team and wants your students to join him in a game of Coach Says (his version of “Simon Says”). In this game, Coach will challenge students to get physically active indoors – but only if Coach Says so. Play for as long as you’d like, but remember the goal is for the students to get up and get active. And don’t forget to have fun doing it!

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. List benefits of regular physical activity, including how it keeps the body healthy.
2. Demonstrate ways to get active indoors through a game of Simon Says.
3. Recall ways to stay safe when exercising.

Are your students ready to get on track to a healthy lifestyle? In this interactive activity, students will keep track of their daily nutrition, physical activity and overall mood in their very own Health Log.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Track their diet, exercise and overall mood.
2. Identify how many daily servings they should be getting from each of the food groups.
3. View their diet, exercise and mood results over a determined period of time.

Get ready to fuel up with some food, fitness and fun during this interactive board game called Fueling Up. Students will take their favorite character around the game board to answer questions and keep their body moving with lots of activity.

Delivery Method:
Individual
Instructor-led

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Recall information related to nutrition, physical activity and the five food groups by playing the review game Fueling Up.

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Recognize the function of the digestive system.
2. Identify nutrients found in foods.
3. Place foods in the correct food groups.
4. Explain the importance of eating a variety of healthy foods.

It's food & fitness field day at school! Zelda, the nutrition expert, and Heart along with some other familiar faces help 4th, 5th, and 6th graders learn the importance of regular physical activity and eating healthy. Through the 17 activities, students will work their way around the track and field to achieve a healthy lifestyle!

This is an independent student activity testing their knowledge of nutrition and physical activity. Students will maneuver through the Food & Fitness track and field to answer multiple-choice questions.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Complete the Pretest.

In this educator-led activity, students will begin by identifying main parts of a food label. They will then work individually or in small groups to analyze three different food labels to learn how to identify healthy snacks.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Small groups
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify parts of a food label.
2. Compare nutritional value of a variety of foods.

In this animated activity, students will be challenged to identify where healthy foods belong on MyPlate. Students will play this game with Simon as their partner. The game is finished when all food groups on are full, showing how many daily servings we need to eat from each food group. Accumulate more points than Simon to win the game!

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify the food groups on MyPlate.
2. Select foods that belong to each food group.
3. Recall how many servings of each food group should be eaten daily.

This is an independent student activity focusing on the importance of physical fitness. Students will link to several different websites to answer questions about physical activity and their overall wellness. After completing the questions, students will then create their very own physical activities worksheet.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Define physical and mental fitness.
2. Identify ways the body and its systems benefit from physical activity.
3. Identify different types of physical activity.
4. Create a personal physical activities worksheet.

Welcome to Body Explorer Champions! Your students will be led by Coach through this animated four-part activity focusing on the skeletal, muscular, circulatory systems and a bonus round all about physical activity. Students learn how their body works with all three system when they “play” together to keep us healthy and give us motion. Once they complete all three body systems, they continue onto a bonus round called Moving to Win.

Welcome to food and fitness field day! This animated three-part activity focuses on calorie balance, healthy vs. unhealthy food choices, the FITT principle, and measuring heart rate. Students can choose to go to the Snack Wagon to build a healthy lunch, Sheriff Tex Tooth’s Gym to get some exercise and/or participate in the Physical Activity Bonanza to determine heart rate.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Individual
Pairs

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Determine daily calorie range based on age and physical activity.
2. Select healthy food choices to build a meal within daily calorie range.
3. Define the FITT principle.
4. Define and determine heart rate before and after exercise.
5. Identify different types of physical activity.

Are your students ready to focus on fitness… and nutrition? Students will watch a Focus on Fitness talk show with Zelda and Coach to answer questions related to diet and physical activity. They will then put this information to the test to create menus that fall within their daily calorie range.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify the importance of physical activity and healthy eating habits.
2. Determine daily calorie range based on age and physical activity.
3. Create a meal within recommended daily calorie range.

Are your students ready to get on track to a healthy lifestyle? In this interactive activity, students will keep track of their daily nutrition, physical activity and overall mood in their very own Health Log.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Track their diet, exercise and overall mood.
2. Identify how many daily servings they should be getting from each of the food groups.
3. View their diet, exercise and mood results over a determined period of time.

Students will define the different body types and identify factors, such as the media, that influence self-esteem and body image in this activity. They will then identify positive self-image messages about themselves. This activity is sure to increase pride and positive self-esteem in students!

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Small groups
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Define somatotype and determine their body type.
2. Define body image and self-esteem.
3. Identify three factors that influence messages about body image and self-esteem.
4. Create a list of three positive self-image messages.

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Define physical fitness and how it benefits us.
2. State ways to keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.
3. Verbalize how strength, endurance and flexibility can be improved.

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Explain the importance of good nutrition.
2. Verbalize the difference between healthy and unhealthy calories.
3. Make healthy food choices based on the nutrient content of food.
4. List each of the nutrients and how they benefit the body.
5. Describe how cholesterol can affect a person’s health.

This is an independent student activity testing knowledge learned regarding nutrition and physical activity. Students will maneuver through the Food & Fitness track and field to answer multiple-choice questions.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Complete the Posttest.

Say Cheese! Students will explore interesting facts about cheese during this activity. They will link to three different websites to find answers to the questions found on the Dairy Council WebQuest. After finding the facts, students will fill in the correct answer to each of the questions by typing or writing on the worksheet provided.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify characteristics of cheese.
2. Describe how cheese is processed.
3. Identify ways cheese can boost one’s calcium.

Get out your taste buds. In this group taste testing activity students will be given the opportunity to sample different types of cheese in various forms, identifying similarities and differences. They’ll be sure to discover what their personal favorites are during this group activity.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Differentiate between Swiss, provolone and mozzarella cheese by taste testing these cheeses in different forms.
2. Determine if cheese served in various forms tastes different.

Get out your thinking caps – it’s game time! Test your knowledge of dairy and calcium with Sheriff TexTooth’s lady friend Miss Sparklenshine, his horse Paste, Simon, and the Sugar Gang, in this tic-tac-toe style game of Dairy Squares.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Small groups
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify characteristics of cheese.
2. Identify ways cheese can boost one’s calcium.
3. Determine which foods are found in the dairy group.
4. Identify health benefits of dairy products.
5. Recall that 3 daily servings of dairy are recommended.
6. Recall sources and benefits of calcium.

*This eLearning Kit was supported by Grant Number H75/CCH324855-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The human body is an amazing machine that, if properly maintained, will go a long way. This kit of 10 activities puts 7th - 9th grade teens in the driver's seat to help them find out just how important nutrition and physical activity are to keep their bodies performing their best.

As students begin to learn more about nutrition and fitness, and just how it affects their bodies and minds, it can be helpful for them to know that resources are available in their worlds – that is, at school, at home, and in their communities. Students will participate in pairs or small teams to hunt for these resources, all the while competing to be the My World Scavenger Hunt champion.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Pairs
Small groups

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify components of a healthy lifestyle, including nutrition, physical activity and stress management.
2. List parts of the body affected by physical activity.
3. Determine healthy food choices based on food label comparison.
4. Measure one serving size of fruits and vegetables.

Turn on the tunes and get on track to a healthy lifestyle. In this interactive activity, students will track their daily nutrition, physical activity and overall mood in their very own Health Log.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Track their diet, exercise and overall mood.
2. Identify how many daily servings they should be getting from each of the food groups.
3. View their diet, exercise and mood results over a determined period of time.

Get ready for students to be in control (of their health)! In this animated activity, where teens are talking to teens, students will hear first hand just how important the lifestyle choices that they make are and how they impact their bodies. Keisha, your guide throughout the activity, will explore the many benefits of exercise, including how it makes us look and feel better. Stick with her as she combats the common obstacles many face when beginning an exercise routine, while showing us how to stay motivated.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Small groups
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. List factors that influence body shape and size.
2. Identify the physical, mental, and social benefits of exercise for the body and its systems.
3. Identify different types of exercise.
4. Recognize common obstacles to sticking with a fitness plan.
5. Determine ways to get motivated to exercise.

This is an independent student activity focusing on reading food labels for nutritional facts, lack of nutrition in fast food, importance of water intake, portion distortion and healthy snacking. Students will link to various websites to gather information. After finding the necessary details within each website, students will write their answers on the worksheet provided.

Nothing to eat in the fridge? Get ready to head to the grocery store… we’re going shopping! Students will go on a virtual shopping trip at the grocery store to buy ingredients for the lunch of their choice. They will investigate Nutrition Facts labels in search of the healthiest ingredients. As they make their selections, pop ups and other facts will be revealed to help them make healthy choices. After lunch is prepped, the activity will wrap up with an analysis of the calories, fat, sodium and sugar in the lunch they choose.

To be healthy, or not to be? Now that students are familiar with Nutrition Facts labels, put their knowledge to the test with this investigation activity. They will be given the nutritional information for two foods on generic Nutrition Facts labels. Students are to decide which food is the healthiest based solely on the information provided.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Small groups
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Read a food label to identify the amount of calories, fat, salt, and sugar per serving size.
2. Determine healthy food choices based on food label comparison.
3. Recall effects of fat, sugar, salt, and calorie intake.

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Recall information related to nutrition and physical activity, including benefits of both healthy eating and regular physical activity by playing What's Your Deal?

Teen’s lives are often so busy with school, a part-time job, hanging out with friends, responsibilities at home and the list goes on and on. With such busy schedules, it can be difficult to find time to exercise. Keep it Moving encourages 7-12th graders to get moving! With teen host Michelle’s guidance, and stick figure animations to demonstrate the exercises, students will be engaged in exercise in this interactive activity. Remember, exercising isn’t just for the gym; it can be done almost anywhere and anytime.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Small groups
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. List five benefits of physical activity.
2. Demonstrate ten different physical activities.
3. Describe three stretching techniques.

Finding time for school, work, family and friends may seem like a juggling act for most teens, but finding balance doesn’t have to be. This kit of 10 activities empowers teens with the knowledge to incorporate a healthy diet and regular activity into their schedules making it a reality. Students in grades 10-12 learn the importance of nutrition and physical activity to boost their overall wellness.

This is an independent student activity testing their knowledge of nutrition and physical activity. Students will work their way through multiple choice and true/false questions to complete the Pretest assessment.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Complete the pretest.

How much is too much when it comes to food? In this activity, students will discover the true meaning of serving sizes. Eating a healthy diet is not too difficult once you learn what a true serving size is. Many people may think a serving size is the amount of food dished up on their plate. But these are often the super sized meals we are bombarded with at today’s restaurants. They seem like a good value, but they are not a good value to our health. Get ready to learn how to keep our body as healthy as possible – by eating for life!

Delivery Method:
Individual
Instructor-led
Pairs

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Define serving size and portion size.
2. Identify how portion sizes have changed over the past 20 years.
3. Create a dinner meal based on recommended serving sizes.

Turn on the tunes and get on track to a healthy lifestyle. In this interactive activity, students will track their daily nutrition, physical activity and overall mood in their very own Health Log.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Track their diet, exercise and overall mood.
2. Identify how many daily servings they should be getting from each of the food groups.
3. View their diet and exercise over a determined period of time.

Get ready for an extreme esteem makeover for your students. In this animated activity, Emily and Jaden, your teen guides, will help students explore the influence of the media, peers and family on shaping what we consider to be an “ideal” body. They will challenge teens to reevaluate expectations they have for their bodies based on the realities of genetics and normal maturation. Students will hear how they can overcome society’s influence to have the “ideal body”, instead striving to live a healthier life by taking care of their bodies and minds.

There are many ways to lose weight, but some methods are unhealthy and appeal to those who are looking for a quick fix, such as fad diets and weight loss pills. In this activity, students will work to dispel myths related to diet and exercise, in search of healthy way to plan an exercise program. They will answer questions related to fad diets and the F.I.T. T. Principle, and will create their own fitness plan based on the four components of the F.I.T.T. principle.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Define fad diet and determine why they are an unhealthy means of weight loss.
2. Identify health problems that may occur because of diet pills.
3. List and dispel four myths related to nutrition and exercise.
4. Define the F.I. T.T. Principle.
5. Create a personalized fitness plan for one month.

The human body is a powerful machine and, if properly maintained, will go a long way before it breaks down. In this animated activity, Ted will guide students through a tour of a virtual body to teach them how lifestyle choices affect the health of their organs. Students will be presented with a scenario in each organ and will have to complete a challenge in order to move on. Enjoy your tour of the virtual body!

Delivery Method:
Individual
Small groups
Partner

Learning Objectives:
The students will be able to:
1. Identify the impact that physical activity and dietary choices have on the body and its organs.

In this activity, students will be investigating the impact of today’s health choices for tomorrow. Students will interview someone at least twenty years their senior regarding personal health choices over the past 20 years. They will then personally answer a series of additional questions, some requiring research, by reflecting inward and evaluating the impact of their health choices today.

Delivery Method:
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Interview an adult about their personal health.
2. Answer predictive questions about their own health.
3. Create a time capsule including signs of the times for health today.

Teen’s lives are often so busy with school, a part-time job, hanging out with friends, responsibilities at home and the list goes on and on. With such busy schedules, it can be difficult to find time to exercise. Keep it Moving encourages 7-12th graders to get moving! With teen host Michelle’s guidance, and stick figure animations to demonstrate the exercises, students will be engaged in exercise in this interactive activity. Remember, exercising isn’t just for the gym; it can be done almost anywhere and anytime.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Small groups
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. List five benefits of physical activity.
2. Demonstrate ten different physical activities.
3. Describe three stretching techniques.

This is an independent student activity testing their knowledge of nutrition and physical activity. Students will work their way through multiple choice and true/false questions to complete the Posttest assessment.

Delivery Method:
Instructor-led
Individual

Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Complete the posttest.